BBC

It's the most widely viewed sporting event in the world. The 2026 World Cup will be played across Canada, Mexico and the United States. Today fans and teams discovered where matches will be played and at what sorts of temperatures.

Also today: A survivor of Sri Lanka's devastating floods tells us how he ran up a hill, carrying his grandmother, as water rose around him; and Bethlehem celebrates Christmas lighting for the first time since the start of the war in Gaza.

(Photo: The World Cup trophy displayed at the Fifa World Cup 2026 draw at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, December 5, 2025. Credit: Pool via Reuters/Mandel Ngan)

Fifa's president gave Mr Trump the award at the draw for the 2026 World Cup. It was widely expected that the US president would receive the award, but for critics the move is a threat to Fifa's commitment to political neutrality.

Also in the programme: We reflect on the life and legacy of one of the world's most acclaimed architects, Frank Gehry, who has died, and we head to Bethlehem where, for the first time since 2022, the traditional giant Christmas tree outside the Nativity Church will be lit.

(Photo: US President Donald Trump and Fifa President Gianni Infantino as the Village People perform during the 2026 World Cup draw. Credit: Mandel Ngan/Reuters)

اهمیت دین در زیست اجتماعی مردمان در کشورهای مختلف حفظ شده. بخشی به این دلیل که تبلیغ و بشارت یک وجه مهم دینداری در بیشتر ادیان جهانی‌ست. ولی تبلیغ یک دین به چه نوع دینداری دامن می‌زند؟ میهمان‌ها:

محمود صباحی، پژوهشگر فلسفه و دین

مهرداد فاتحی، پژوهشگر الهیات مسیحی

We hear about an extraordinary story of love, friendship and a teenage promise fulfilled over a decade later. When Georgia Barrington was told, at the age of 15, that she'd been born without a womb, she thought her dreams of having a baby were over. So her best friend, Daisy Hope, promised she would one day act as her surrogate. Years later, after having her daughter, she reminded her friend of that offer -- and a few weeks ago gave birth to Georgia's baby girl. The women say it's given them a bond like no other.

Also: how the traditionally male world of yodelling is being given a modern, feminist twist. Switzerland's new yodel choirs aim to bring people from all backgrounds together and connect them through song.

The world-famous Chinese pianist, Lang Lang, talks about the healing power of music. His charitable foundation runs concerts and creative workshops for children struggling with physical or mental health issues or grief.

We find out about how one winner of this year's Earthshot prizes is bringing education to women living on some of Bangladesh's most fragile islands.

Plus: a statue honouring the true impact of pregnancy and childbirth on women's bodies; the man bringing the stress-busting sights and sounds of nature to tens of thousands of people around the world; and the young owl rescued from a cement mixer.

Our weekly collection of inspiring, uplifting and happy news from around the world.

Presenter: Ankur Desai. Music composed by Iona Hampson

More than 300 children were kidnapped from a school in the Western Nigerian village of Papiri in November, but in the aftermath, accounts of the kidnappings were confused and misleading. BBC Africa's Madina Maishanu was part of a team of journalists who faced huge risk to visit the site of the kidnappings and hear the testimonies of parents.

In October this year, a young Chechen woman living in Armenia, Aishat Baimuradova, was killed. She'd previously escaped a repressive life in Chechnya but is now believed to be the first Chechen woman in exile to be killed outside of Russia. BBC Russian's Zlata Onufrieva and Olga Prosvirova set out what is known about Aishat's life and death, and consider the implications of her killing for Chechen women living in exile.

This episode of The Documentary comes to you from The Fifth Floor, the show at the heart of global storytelling, with BBC journalists from all around the world.

Presented by Faranak Amidi.

Produced by Laura Thomas, Caroline Ferguson and Hannah Dean.

(Photo: Faranak Amidi. Credit: Tricia Yourkevich.)

MPs on the Treasury Select Committee are seeking answers from HMRC after thousands of parents have had their child benefit stopped because they took a holiday abroad. The mistakes happened during a fraud crackdown on people emigrating from the UK but still claiming the benefit for their children.

Now, among all the financial pressures of recent years the costs faced by parents for school trips has continued to go up. And it's not just a cause for concern for parents, but also for school governors. The body which represents them in England, the National Governance Association, has told Money Box that schools should try to help parents with these costs to ease the growing financial pressures many feel.

Plus, a big change is underway aimed at helping victims of domestic violence in financial trouble. And we continue to look at Budget issues raised by listeners. This week it’s potential changes to council tax. Speculation suggests that the two highest bands, and the way bands are decided, could be subject to change later this month.

Presenter: Paul Lewis

Reporters: Dan Whitworth and Eimear Devlin

Editor: James Graham

Senior News Editor: Sara Wadeson

Fifa President Gianni Infantino awarded Donald Trump with the football federation's first-ever peace prize, at a lavish ceremony to select the groups for the 2026 men's World Cup. The tournament will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. But why does President Trump care about football? Also: Colombia signs a peace deal with the criminal drugs gang Clan del Golfo. Violent clashes jeopardise a ceasefire between Afghanistan and Pakistan. And the celebrity architect Frank Gehry has died at the age of 96.

From 10 December, Australian children under 16 will be banned from most social media platforms including TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat. The ban is designed to protect teenagers from harmful content and other risks such as cyberbullying and grooming. Surveys suggest the legislation is popular with many parents, but it has been challenged by social media companies and some young campaigners have argued it disregards children’s rights. We bring together two families in New South Wales who are on opposite sides of the debate. We also hear from three young Australians with tens of thousands of social media followers, including Ella who says, "it’s the content that needs to be removed, not us".

Netflix has agreed to buy the film and streaming businesses of Warner Bros Discovery for $72bn in a major Hollywood deal. Warner Bros owns the streaming service HBO Max, as well as major franchises like Harry Potter and Game of Thrones. Is this the beginning of a radical reshaping of the US media industry?

Indian officials say they have arrested one of the world's most wanted traffickers of tiger body parts. We hear from a wildlife crime expert about the size of the trade and the threat to tiger populations.

And Curaçao - a tiny southern Caribbean island with around 155,000 inhabitants - will face four time winners Germany at the FIFA World Cup. We hear from one superfan who is figuring out how he will get there.

You can contact us on WhatsApp or send us a voice note: +44 330 678 3033.

Illustration: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic

FIFA President Gianni Infantino presented Donald Trump with a newly created FIFA Peace Prize at the World Cup draw in Washington DC. The 2026 tournament will be held in the US, Canada and Mexico.

Also on the programme: Netflix has agreed to buy Warner Bros' streaming and studio business, potentially paving the way for a radical reshaping of the entertainment industry; and the BBC finds that more than 250 LGBT people were subjected to electric shock aversion therapy by the NHS in the 1960s and 70s. We hear from a survivor.